Landat

Château Landat

Vincent Fabre’s father Gabriel bought the chateau in 1976. In 1982 Vincent joined his father in running not just Landat but the other properties his family owns, almost all in the Haut-Médoc near Vertheuil and Cissac-Medoc. Today Domaines Fabre is unusual not just for the quality and value of their wines, but for the fact that they sell their wines directly, rather than going through agents, courtiers or the ‘place’ (the informal network of wine negociants that control most sales in Bordeaux).

Château Landat is something increasingly rare. It is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), blended with Merlot (35%) and Petit Verdot (5%). For many properties these days Merlot often dominates, even on the Left Bank. And the wine tastes traditional: never over-extracted though it has a 3-4 week maceration, it has lovely fruit with classic ‘pencil-box’ cedar notes. Yet the winemaking takes advantages of all that technology can offer, without letting the technology dictate the goal. De-stemming, temperature control, micro-oxygenation all contribute to finesse without compromising the balance and energy of the wine.